LEARNING COMPLEX AUDITORY CATEGORIES

令人兴奋的新研究促进了语音感知研究的一个重要子领域，该研究涉及描述类别在语言适当感知的发展和维持中的功能。最近的研究表明，语音类别的形成和功能至少有一部分是一般知觉分类机制的结果，而不是语音或语言所特有的。因此，现在似乎有机会将一般分类研究与第一语言和第二语言习得的工作结合起来。不幸的是，关于知觉分类的许多已知知识都来自于对与语音类别根本不同的类别的研究。此外，使用言语刺激来检验分类的影响在经验上是困难的，因为确定详细的经验历史是非常困难的。pi的试点工作表明，在探索驱动听觉分类的学习机制时，使用复杂的非语音是有用的。这些声音可以合成来模拟语音类别的复杂性，刺激呈现的分布可以理论上推导来模拟语音类别的各个方面，同时保持对经验的完全实验控制。这项工作的主要目标有三个。第一个目标是提供复杂听觉类别的形成和结构的详细数据库。在这一领域缺乏研究，提出的工作将有助于发展听觉学习的分类和测试现有的一般感知分类模型（主要基于视觉任务的数据）。使用外显和附带学习程序的实验将描绘出听者在获得新刺激经验时的分类反应结构的发展。第二个目标是将这些分类任务产生的结果结构与典型的语音类别结构（如分类感知和“感知磁铁”效应）进行比较。第三个目标是发展有效的接触和训练方法，向第二语言学习者教授非母语对比。学习非母语的语音对比是一项极其困难的任务。揭示复杂类别学习的机制可以为训练个体区分这些复杂语言类别提供潜在的帮助。这些辅助工具可以很容易地扩展到其他复杂的学习任务，如音乐训练、声音警告系统或听觉数据显示。

Exciting new research has promoted a vital sub-field of speech perception research concerned with describing the function of categories in the development and maintenance of language- appropriate perception. Recent work has suggested that at least part of the formation and function of phonetic categories is a result of general perceptual categorization mechanisms not specific to speech or language. Thus, there now appears to be opportunity for an integration of general categorization research with work on first and second language acquisition. Unfortunately, much of what is known about perceptual categorization has been derived from examination of categories that are fundamentally different from phonetic categories. Moreover, it is empirically difficult to examine influences of categorization using speech stimuli because it is extraordinarily difficult to determine a detailed history of experience. Pilot work by the PIs has suggested the utility of using complex non- speech sounds in probing the learning mechanisms that drive auditory categorization. These sounds can be synthesized to mimic complexities of phonetic categories and distributions of stimulus presentation can be theorectically derived to model aspects of phonetic categories while maintaining full experimental control over experience. The main goals of this work are threefold. The first goal is to provide a detailed database of the formation and structure of complex auditory categories. There is a dearth of research in this area and the proposed work will be useful in developing a taxonomy of auditory learning and testing extant models of general perceptual categorization (which have been based primarily on data from visual tasks). Experiments using explicit and incidental learning procedures will map the development of categorical response structures as listeners gain experience with novel stimuli. The second goal is to compare the resulting structures that arise from these categorization tasks to structures typical of speech categories such as categorical perception and the "perceptual magnet" effect. The third goal is to develop efficient methods of exposure and training to teach non-native contrasts to second-language learners. Learning the sound contrasts for a non-native language is an extremely difficult task. Exposing the mechanisms of complex category learning could illuminate potential aids to training individuals to discriminate these complex speech categories. These aids could extend easily to other complex learning tasks such as musical training, acoustic warning systems or auditory data displays.